Round one the goal: Trengove

JACK Trengove has one simple aim for the rest of the pre-season: to be fit for Melbourne’s first round against Port Adelaide at the MCG on Sunday, March 31.

But the hard work clearly continues for the co-captain, who suffered a stress fracture in his left foot pre-Christmas.

“My main goal now is to get ready for round one,” he told melbournefc.com.au.

“I’ve just got to make sure I’m doing everything right in the next couple of months to give myself every opportunity to be right for the start of the season.

“It’s just a matter of doing everything right week to week, strengthening my foot and getting a few kilometres in the legs - and then getting the footy back in my hands.”

Despite his eagerness to play in round one, Trengove said that realistically it was hard to put an exact time on his return.

“They (doctors) say initially that it’s a three month [injury] until you’re back fully playing, but it’s different for every case,” he said.

“I’m not sure how mine’s reacted since the time off, but hopefully … I might even sneak in a game before round one.

“It’s hard to say at this point.”

Trengove found out about his injury the day before Melbourne’s Northern Territory pre-season camp on December 5 last year. Since then,his rehabilitation has gone as expected.

“When I first found out about it, [I was told I would need] six weeks in the moon boot and on crutches, so I’m about four and a half weeks into it now,” he said.

“I’ve passed the hard yards, but now it’s about putting extra load on my foot and getting it back up to shape, before I can start full on running.

“It’s all going well, fingers crossed - we’ve got a bit of a plan going forward, so at this stage, it’s looking good.”
Still, after missing the Top End trip and being sidelined with his injury, Trengove said the Christmas break came at an opportune moment.
“Because I’m not able to train with the main group at the moment, you feel a bit secluded from it all, so the break really came at a good time, from that respect,” he said.

“It was a good chance to get away from the place and freshen up the mind for what’s going to be a big year ahead, so I think all the boys appreciated it.”